By Graham K. Rogers

Late in March this year, I had a look at an iOS app named Woodpost, that allowed me to order an online print of a photograph, with the output being printed on wood. The cost of a single photograph was $7.99 including mailing costs to anywhere in the world.

I chose the 6" x 3.7" x 0.1" landscape output and made the purchase via PayPal with the amount being deducted from my credit card immediately. I subsequently had 3 emails: a confirmation after ordering; and a little later to tell me that the image was being printed; then one day further a message to tell me that the product had been shipped and should reach me in 10-14 days.

I waited for about 4 weeks but as the item had not arrived, I sent a query to the developers. I understand that mail in this region may not always be as reliable as in other countries, so this is not the first time I have written such an email on the subject to a company or organisation.

Within hours, Woodpost sent a reply apologising for the delay and asked for another 3-5 days for delivery. A weekend intervened, but this Monday morning the envelope was in my mailbox: it might have arrived the previous Friday with the absence of some staff last week. The package had been sent from Singapore and was intact (not always the case here). The inner package, containing the wood print was sealed.

The photograph on wood was much as I expected. The finish did not have the high level of sharpness of the original, but was not faded or smeared in any way. The ink is naturally absorbed by the wood, but the image was faithfully reproduced. On the reverse was the short message I had written as part of the test output and the small magnet which allows the image to be attached to a fridge door or other metal surface (I tried it on a window frame). The QR code revealed a number (1315) and nothing else.

Also in the package was a small slotted wood stand. This is cut in such a way that the image fits loosely into the groove and leans backwards slightly for good viewing.

As a check, I scratched a small section of the printed frame, using my fingernail, for about 30 seconds. There was only the slightest indication that any of the print was coming off after this unrealistic effort. In normal use, I would not expect any fading or chipping.

As I wrote in that earlier review, "While this type of output may not appeal to all users, the uniqueness, along with the quality of the app itself, should earn the developers a lot of friends".

There is some clear potential here.

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Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand where he is also Assistant Dean. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. He is now continuing that in the Bangkok Post supplement, Life.